Lac de Sanetsch: Tranquil dawn in black & white

By Johan Peijnenburg

A few weeks ago I posted a colour version of the sunrise at Lac de Sanetsch in the Berner Oberland region of Switzerland. This is the same sunrise with a slightly different composition and processed in black & white. This black & white mountain landscape is a 30-second exposure at f/16. Used a Lee ND1.8 (6-stop) filter and a Singh-Ray ND Grad (3 stop). Processed in LR3 and Silver Efex Pro. I used a long exposure to blur the waves and reflections a bit.

Tranquil dawn in black & white

I have a series of photographs from that day, and I am not sure yet if I prefer this long exposure version in B&W or a regular version (with reflection) in B&W. Make sure to check back in to see the latter pop up in a week or so 🙂

Lake Sanetsch can be found near Gsteig, Switzerland, just on the border between the cantons of Bern and Valais. The lake is located at an altitude of 2,034 metres (6,673 feet) and can be reached either by cable car or by car. This photograph was taken at around 8:05 am. In the background, you see the sunrise lighting up the Sanetschhorn (2,924m/9,593ft).

Cheers, Johan 🙂

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A minimalist lake landscape in black & white, featuring a line of rocks with a coot sleeping on one leg. On the Rocks - © 2024 Johan Peijnenburg: www.niophoto.com
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Alternatively, consider visiting our Black & White Landscape Photography portfolio for a collection of fine art photography in black & white like this mountain lake sunset. Lastly, consider visiting our Swiss Landscape Photography portfolio for a large selection of landscape photographs captured in Switzerland.

98 thoughts on “Lac de Sanetsch: Tranquil dawn in black & white”

  23. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    Thank you very much! Very kind Myrna!
    @Gerard: I really love the expression “cracker of a photo” 😀 Thanks!
    @Athena: It was and hopefully many more days like that to come! Thanks!

    Reply
  25. Athena Carey says:

    Congratulations Johan – it’s a beautiful photo of a lovely place. And thanks for that day too. It was fun. 🙂

    Reply
  29. Joel Tjintjelaar says:

    @Athena: I heard that:) Don’t worry – I actually think clouds are not that important to me when shooting these mountain lakes. I think the sky would be too ‘heavy’ with clouds and the majestic mountains in it.

    Reply
  30. Joel Tjintjelaar says:

    I’m already coming over Johan ! Next year for sure – there are so many mountain lakes waiting for me:)
    That it is a great shot in BW!

    Reply
      • Joel Tjintjelaar says:

        I don’t know yet Johan, I think I will give it a good look in the weeks to come. But if you have any suggestions: feel free to share them with me:)

        Reply
        • Johan Peijnenburg says:

          Athena pointed me to an overview of Swiss alpine lakes on wiki, you might want to have a look at to get some sense as to which part of the country you would prefer. I can definitely point you in the direction of a few nice ones Joel. Some of them are quite touristic though so if you have to go up, make sure to be the first one or last one up there 🙂

          Reply
          • Joel Tjintjelaar says:

            And if you have any photos of them then by all means share them here, that would be even better:)

          • Johan Peijnenburg says:

            I certainly will Joel. There is more in the pipeline already and more to shoot on short term, especially when the snow line starts crawling down towards where the lakes are 🙂 You have to prepare for very slow moving clouds here in the Alps though and not a lot of wind. It’s a bit different then NL 🙂

  33. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Wilfried: Thanks! A bit too much honor I think, but appreciated 🙂
    @Karsten: thanks! A fantastic location indeed and not often photographed 🙂
    @John: thank you! So tell, me why do you prefer the colour one. Composition, reflection or just because it is in colour?

    Reply
    • John Dunne says:

      Ha it might be as simple as “it is in colour” 🙂

      In this instance I don’t believe the B&W conversion helps draw out anything specific – tone, shape, texture or contrast. Do you have a colour version of this image we could compare?

      Reply
      • Johan Peijnenburg says:

        simple is good 🙂 The colour version looks a lot like the one I posted earlier, except that the reflection is blurred. Should a B&W version draw out something specific in your view?

        Reply
  37. Johan Swanepoel says:

    Really great work Johan – the scene is so well balanced and the tones are just perfect. It looks like such a tranquil place to be.

    Reply
  39. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Turner: thanks and you’re welcome. Good luck with exploring 🙂
    @Royce: Thanks! You’re home is like paradise for shooting stuff like this 🙂

    Reply
  41. Turner Luttrell Jr says:

    Great photo, thanks for sharing your your work. I have Silver Efex Pro and I am just beginning to explore the opportunities black & white can offer. Again, thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  51. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    Thanks Lynne!
    @Daniel: I am only starting to play with it myself. It’s fun!
    @Peter: Thanks! I have several versions at different apertures and exposure times. Trying to figure out what I like best …. short exposure with perfect reflections, longest exposure without any waves but hardly any reflections or something in between like this 🙂

    Reply
  52. Laurent Coppée says:

    That’s good Johan! I wish I had more water around me, I mean more that just the tap or the bath tub, to try LE 😉

    Reply

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